Updates

Wakiji also reports that Lashoff isn’t slated to play tonight. Danny DeKeyser skated this morning as well.

Lineups

DETROIT

Gustav Nyquist - Dylan Larkin - Justin Abdelkader
Tyler Bertuzzi - Frans Nielsen - Thomas Vanek
Darren Helm - Luke Glendening - Andreas Athanasiou
Michael Rasmussen - Jacob de la Rose - Christoffer Ehn

Nicklas Kronwall - Nick Jensen
Jonathan Ericsson - Filip Hronek
Dennis Cholowski - Luke Witkowski

Jimmy Howard
Jonathan Bernier

CALGARY

Johnny Gaudreau - Sean Monahan - Elias Lindholm
Matthew Tkachuk - Mikael Backlund - James Neal
Sam Bennett - Mark Jankowski - Austin Czarnik
Dillon Dube - Derek Ryan - Garnet Hathaway

Mark Giordano - TJ Brodie
Noah Hanifin - Travis Hamonic
Oliver Kylington - Rasmus Andersson

Mike Smith
Jon Gillies

Keys to the Game

Someone Other Than Larkin

I love seeing Dylan Larkin taking the next step and morphing into the next Red Wings captain right before our eyes. However, I would love it more if there were a few others stepping up and pitching offensively on a consistent basis as well. Andreas Athanasiou is the closest and he seems to be gaining steam so he just might be one, but they need another.

KISS the Defensive Edition

Keep. It. Simple. Stupid. It is almost like clockwork with the Wings defense. The opponent begins to ramp up the pressure on the forecheck. The defensemen begin to panic and start throwing the puck around. The next thing you know it the opposing team has it and it ends up in the back of the net. Be it experience level, mobility level or talent level, every Red Wings defenseman is struggling with this right now (admittedly some more than others). Often if they just slow down a second and take the easy play instead of trying to make the fancy ones, they break the pressure and turn it into a chance going the other way. With this aggressive Calgary team, they are going to have to do that tonight.

Play with a Smart Edge

Calgary likes to play physical at times, even going so far as bullying their opponents, in order to make the space their skilled players need. The Wings have shown a willingness to play physical as well when needed. Of course, that physical play has a limit before it takes them off their own game. Detroit will need to find that balance tonight in order to keep the Flames from pushing them around but not allow it to pass over the curve and actually become a hindrance to their own game as well.